Where's give-and-take from Cuba?

Before the U.S. makes any more concessions, it should get some guarantees of reciprocation from somebody named Castro

For the first time in half a century, a U.S. president appears inclined to make concessions to Cuba, the island so close to our mainland that thousands of people have risked death across 90 miles of open seas in crude rafts and unseaworthy boats to reach Florida and escape the communist dictatorship of Fidel Castro.

As a first step, President Obama has eased some travel restrictions for Cuban-Americans who want to visit the island or send money to relatives there. And U.S. cell phone companies have been given a green light to do business in Cuba. The Obama administration believes this easing of sanctions will foster personal freedom for Cubans.

Apparently, some Cubans think the U.S. could do much more, including providing financial aid. To them, apparently, "freedom" means getting more government assistance from the U.S. government than they are getting from the Castro regime, now led by Fidel's brother, Raul.

What's missing from this shift in U.S. policy is any demand, any expectation, any hope that either Castro will make any concessions toward more "personal freedom" or democratic governance, which is and has long been the primary U.S. objective.

On the one hand, it is admirable that the Obama administration is willing to take steps -- and risks -- that might eventually lead to an end to the decades-long U.S. economic blockade of Cuba. On the other hand, to embrace these initiatives without a single easing of strict -- that means the iron fist of someone named Castro -- Communist hold on the people of Cuba would be reckless and imprudent.

The next step is up to someone in the office of the president -- of Cuba, not the U.S.